An American Nightmare
by Laney 916
Summary: Rei gets a job promotion and moves to America. Six years later, she has a young daughter and life is good, but this happiness is shattered when one of her co-workers begins to show an unhealthy interest in her.
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to one of the darkest stories I've ever written. What you are about to read contains strong language, frightening moments, violence, and sexual acts, both consensual and forced, so if you are underage or don't want to read that kind of thing, turn away now!_

"..." - talking

'...' - thinking

_"Italics"_ - speaking in native language

_Italics _- flashbacks

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><p>Summary: Rei receives a job promotion which requires her to move to New York City. Six years later, she has a young daughter and life is good, but their happiness is shattered when Rei's co-worker begins to show an unhealthy interest in her.<p>

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><p><strong><span>An American Nightmare<span>**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

A taxi pulled up along the curb outside a New York City apartment building on 5th Avenue, in Manhattan's Upper East Side. A young raven haired woman climbed out of the back seat, paid the driver and walked through the large double doors of the building. She went to the front desk and was greeted by a woman with long reddish brown hair and green eyes. She studied the name tag on the woman's uniform, which read 'Alexandra.'

"Hello. How may I help you today?" Alexandra said, politely.

"My name is Rei Hino. I'm your new tenant. I've just arrived here from Tokyo." She introduced, her heavy Japanese accent coloring every word.

Alexandra smiled back as she looked up Rei's information in the computer system, and walked out from behind the counter. "Sure, let me show you to your apartment." She led Rei to the elevators and they rode one of them up to the tenth floor and walked along a brightly lit hallway until they reached their destination. "Here we are. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome, Ms. Hino. If you need anything, just pick up the phone and call the front desk."

"Great, I will do that. I appreciate the help."

Alexandra unlocked the apartment and handed Rei the keys. Rei walked through the place to take a look around. Her violet eyes brightened at what she saw. It was more extravagant than she had been expecting, more like a palace. For lack of a better word, she was mesmerized. The living room had a faûx finish on the walls, the glaze work giving the appearance that they were made of real white marble. On the over-sized windows, which had a spectacular view of the city were royal blue satin drapes and matching valances, and it had hardwood flooring.

The three bedrooms were decorated much the same way, except for the colors of the drapes. Rei was especially fond of the red ones in the master bedroom, as they matched the bedding and she liked that they gave off a romantic vibe. The other two bedrooms had silver and black ones, respectively. The master bedroom also had its own private balcony.

In the master bathroom, the floors were made of tile, and the walls were painted with water-resistant lavender colored paint. Though she didn't like the paint color and made a mental note to repaint it later, she was impressed by the hot tub, which had a shower attachment and the spacious double sink with a large mirror behind it so she could do her make-up. The second bathroom was smaller and less elaborate, with only a single sink and normal bathtub with a shower and was painted pale blue. Both bathrooms had water efficient toilets.

The open kitchen and dining room area had stainless steel appliances with an electric stove top and large oven, and a white tiled back splash. Above the long, rectangular wooden table was a crystal chandelier.

'Wow! The rent for this place must be steep. How am I supposed to pay for this?' She previously worked as an intern for one of the largest architectural firms in Japan and at only twenty-three years old, the CEO recognized her talents and promoted her to design architect, offering her a chance to lead a team of designers at their office in America. She had been shocked that he had chosen her, despite only graduating from University a year and a half ago and just a few months ago, passing the qualification exam. But she felt proud of herself and with the encouragement of her grandfather, her fellow senshi, and Yūichirou, she accepted the position. Even with the dramatic increase in her salary, she was unsure if she'd be able to afford the rent and taxes in this neighborhood.

She finished exploring the apartment and yawned as she laid down on the sofa, propping up her feet. It was after two in the afternoon by now and she was exhausted from the long flight from her native country, so she decided it was time to take a nap before dinner.

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><p>Three hours later, the sound of someone knocking on the door roused her from her sleep. Though she was still tired, she composed herself and got up to answer it and was surprised to see a woman in her thirties with chin length blond hair and brown eyes, accompanied by two young boys, who appeared to be between four and eight, standing there.<p>

"Hello." She greeted.

"Hi, you must be new here." The woman said.

"Ah, yes I am."

"I'm Grace Weston and these are my sons, Tyler and Brandon. We live a few doors down the hall and we thought we should stop by."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Rei Hino, but you can call me Rei."

"It's nice to meet you too, Rei." Grace reached into her purse and withdrew a notepad and pen, hastily scrawling her address and phone number on the top sheet of paper and handed it to Rei. "Here, you can call or come over at any time."

Rei graciously accepted the paper and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Oh, I am planning to take the boys to the Central Park Zoo tomorrow and I was wondering if you'd like to join us and we could show you around the city." Rei put a hand up to her chin and considered the offer carefully.

"Sure, I'd like to. Thanks for the invitation."

"My pleasure. How does eleven sound?"

"It's perfect!"

"Great, we'll meet you in the lobby."

"Okay. I'll see you then." Grace and her sons waved goodbye as they left, and Rei, stomach rumbling from hunger from not eating anything since the sandwich and can of soda they served for lunch on the plane, pondered over what to have for dinner. She was a horrible cook, so she thought it was best to go out tonight instead. She didn't know her way around and not wanting to get lost in such a large city trying to find a restaurant herself, she chose to call the front desk.

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><p>At Alexandra's suggestion, she hailed a taxi and went to Da Nico Restaurant, an Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street. The place had a beautiful indoor dining room and was known for having the best coal brick oven pizza. It was frequented by many famous people, such as the NY Yankees and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.<p>

The waiter, a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and blue eyes placed a menu in front of her and said, "Welcome to Da Nico Ristorante. My name is Jack and I will be your server this evening. May I start you off with something to drink?"

Rei studied the items on the menu. She was thankful that the firm she worked for required her to learn more English than what she had been taught in middle and high school, and that Minako had helped her brush up on her language skills before she moved. She was currently at a lower intermediate level, in that she understood spoken English quite well and could engage in basic conversations and read simple English, though her writing needed more improvement. Her level of comprehension allowed her to choose what she wanted without much difficulty. "I'll have a glass of red wine, please."

"Certainly, Miss. I'll be right back with your drink." Rei perused the menu again as she waited for her drink and it didn't take long to figure out what meal she wanted either. Jack returned with her wine and she ordered the Pizza Primavera, a cheese and tomato pie with vegetables.

The pizza was served not too long after and the fire senshi found it to be delicious. She devoured half of it, two glasses of wine, and a free serving of the establishment's famous dough balls, fried and covered in powdered sugar for dessert.

She put the uneaten portion of her pizza into a carry out box and paid the bill, then she took another cab back home. She reentered the apartment, kicking off her shoes and putting the pizza box in the refrigerator.

It was a little after eight PM now and she had another long day tomorrow, so she filled the hot tub and turned on the water jets, then she got into the warm water for a relaxing bath. After she was finished, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked into her bedroom, grabbed a pair of underwear, a plain black t-shirt, and pink pajama pants with cupcakes printed on them from one of her suitcases and got dressed. Then she tucked herself into bed and read until she fell asleep an hour later and the book, with its pages down, rested at her side.

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><p><em>Next chapter should be up soon! I totally made up Rei's apartment instead of using an existing place, but the street it's located on, and the restaurant she went to are both real (the waiter is fictional though). The story line will start to pick up in the next few chapters. I'm open to ideas, so suggest away if you have any, especially on how Rei should redo her new home, because I don't know. lol<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**An American Nightmare**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Rei sat on a bench in the lobby, occasionally checking her watch as she waited for her neighbor Grace and towheaded, blue eyed sons Tyler and Brandon to meet up with her. It was five minutes before eleven when she finally spotted them getting off the elevator.

"Hey!" Grace said as she walked toward her, and the boys practically ran over to her.

"Hi, Miss Rei." Seven-year-old Tyler said casually.

"Hello, Miss Rei. How are you?" Brandon, the four-year-old greeted, his voice much more energetic than his brother's.

"I'm fine. What about you two?"

"Good." Brandon chirped.

"I'm fine." Tyler replied.

"I like you. You're pretty and nice too, just like my mommy." Brandon added while reaching up to play with Rei's long, shiny locks.

Grace chided him about touching someone else's hair without permission, but Rei didn't mind. She had grown accustomed to Usagi's one-year-old daughter Chibi-Usa doing the same thing, except that Brandon was gentle compared to Chibi-Usa and didn't try to yank her hair out.

She was impressed at how well behaved the children were, so much so that she forgot that she was in another country and spoke in her native language. _"Arigatou gozaimasu."_ They looked at her, confused.

"What does that mean?" Tyler asked.

"It means _'thank you.'_" She informed him.

"Wow! Can you teach me? I wanna speak your language too!" He exclaimed.

"Me too!" Brandon chimed in.

"If it's alright with your mom, it's alright with me."

"It's fine with me." Grace agreed enthusiastically, and the boys skipped up and down excitedly as the group went out the main doors into the cool November air and headed toward Central Park, which was only one block away. They reached the zoo and Rei had insisted that she pay her own admission, but Grace wouldn't budge and not wanting to argue over something so trivial, the younger woman relented.

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><p>The zoo was small, a little more than five acres, but Grace and her children loved it and Rei was happy to be there as well. They had only been there for fifteen minutes, and as they were in the Children's Zoo, petting and feeding the goats, pigs, cows, sheep, and other animals, they heard crashes of thunder and drops of rain began to fall...hard. The zoo managers had no choice but to temporarily close down the outdoor exhibits. Rei and Grace took the boys to the indoor Polar Circle exhibit to see the polar bears, penguins, and other polar seabirds, hoping that the bad weather would stop soon.<p>

"Mom, look at the penguins!" Brandon shouted, pointing a finger at a small colony of Emperor penguins that were belly flopping into their pool.

"I see them. They're funny, aren't they?"

"Yeah. I wish I could be a penguin too."

"Not me." Tyler said. "I wish I were a polar bear, so I could swim and play with Gus over there."

Gus was considered a celebrity at the Central Park Zoo, described by reporters as neurotic, flaky, and bipolar because he had a peculiar habit of swimming in figure eight patterns for up to twelve hours a day, but this behavior had since lessened, and he was adored by millions of people around the world. Tyler and Brandon ran over to Gus' habitat, with Rei and Grace following closely behind them.

Rei giggled as she watched Gus chase his blue ball into the water. He swam around like a maniac, wrestling with the toy and shortly after, his companion, a female polar bear named Ida joined in.

After spending another twenty minutes checking out the polar bears, they exited the Polar building. Luckily the storm had died down and they walked over to the Temperate Territory to visit the red pandas, snow monkeys, ducks, and California sea lions.

As the children were occupied by the animals' antics, the adults talked and took the time to get to know one another. Grace was interested to learn that Rei was a miko in her home country and lived in a Shinto shrine with her grandfather and his apprentice who happened to be one of Rei's closest friends. Though Rei mentioned her fellow senshi, she conveniently left out everything about their powers and fighting against enemies like the Dark Kingdom and Galaxia.

Rei took great interest in Grace's life story, too. Grace had been a flight attendant until she married and had her first son, and she went back to college to earn her bachelor's degrees in business and finance and raised her family while her then husband was a CPA for the US Postal Service. The marriage didn't last, but he continued to support Grace and his sons financially and had visitation with them every other weekend. Grace now worked as a bank teller to earn extra income to support Tyler and Brandon and stave off boredom while they were at school.

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><p>They left the zoo at closing time, which was four thirty, hands filled with bags of souvenirs, and stopped at their apartments to drop the bags off, then they went back outside.<p>

"That was fun." Rei said, not being able to contain her excitement.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." Grace replied.

"Me too. Back home, I'd been so busy with work that I didn't get out much, and now with the promotion, it means longer hours and even less free time. Not that I'm complaining."

"You know, it isn't healthy to overwork yourself. You should take some time to relax once in a while or do something you like, even if you just want to go for a walk outside the office during lunch hour. I'm sure your new boss won't mind."

"I'll have to do that."

"What should we do now?" Tyler wondered, not knowing what else his mother had planned for the rest of the day.

"We're gonna have dinner and check out the stores along this street to show Rei around, and then we'll go to Rockefeller Center and ice skate."

"Yeah!" Both boys shouted in unison and high-fived each other.

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><p>Dinner was quick, with the group ordering from the various food trucks parked on the streets along their route. Brandon chose hot dogs, chips, and a coke and Tyler had hamburgers, French fries, and Mountain Dew. The adults opted for Philly cheese steaks with American cheese, fried onions, mushrooms, and spicy Italian peppers after Grace declared that they were to die for. Rei ordered a coke with her sandwich, while Grace asked for a bottle of water.<p>

Rei's eyes went wide when the vendor handed her her sandwich. It was gigantic and unfamiliar to her as she'd never seen this type of food in Japan, but it looked tasty enough, so she was willing to try it.

She took a big bite and Grace's opinion was dead on. It tasted amazing! The peppers gave it kind of a kick, but they weren't over the top spicy. She'd eaten hotter things, especially the first time she went cherry blossom viewing with Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and some people from their school, plus Minako, and Usagi had put a spicy condiment on her sandwich. The stuff set her mouth on fire and she wanted to kill the odango haired girl for it.

She wasn't sure if she could finish the whole cheese steak, but to her surprise, she did and washed it down with her cup of soda. She took four towelettes from her purse and handed them out to everyone. They wiped the grease from their hands and threw the towelettes away.

They stopped in several stores, including Gap, Sephora, and FAO Schwarz. Rei bought new clothes for work, but aside from that, nobody bought anything until they entered FAO Schwarz, one of the most famous toy stores in the world.

"Mom, we gotta show Rei the Big Piano!" Rei heard Tyler tell his mother, who told him to lead the way. He led them to the robot shaped elevator, appropriately named Go-2-Floor-2, and took it up to the second floor, then they walked over to the piano, which had been made famous by the 1988 movie '_Big'_, starring Tom Hanks. The boys took turns creating their own beats and invited their mom and Rei to play with them. The raven haired woman was fascinated. She couldn't get enough of it.

'Usagi and Minako-chan would go nuts if they saw this thing.' She mused with a small grin on her lips and started to play a slow version of _'Eien no Melody'_, humming the tune as she went along. Grace and the kids listened as the song's melody flowed through their ears. It was like a lullaby and they believed it was the most beautiful song they've ever heard.

"She's good!" Brandon whispered in Tyler's ear.

"I know!" Tyler agreed.

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><p>A crowd formed around them, dozens of pairs of eyes focused on Rei as she hit the notes flawlessly.<p>

"Wow!" One spectator exclaimed.

"She's got mad skill!" Another person commented.

"She's hot too!" A third chimed in.

"Oh, Ned!" A woman next to him, presumably a friend of his, moaned and smacked him in the back of the head.

Cheers erupted from the crowd and it gave her more energy to continue playing. She finished the final notes of the song and stepped off the keyboard, taking a bow at her audience, who bombarded her with autograph requests. They didn't believe her when she told them flat out that she wasn't famous, but she decided to humor them and gave autographs to them anyway.

She turned her attention to Grace and the boys, who raved to her about how great she was and gave her a group hug.

"When did you learn to play like that?" Grace asked, releasing her grip and her sons' from their neighbor and Rei took a moment to catch her breath.

"I started when I was ten. I've always liked singing and writing music, so I took lessons after school." She answered Grace's question proudly.

"You're very talented."

"Thank you."

"Miss Rei, what was that song you were playing? Who wrote it?" Tyler asked.

"It's called _'Eien no Melody'_, which means '_eternal melody'_ in Japanese. I wrote it myself when I was fourteen."

"Incredible!"

"How old are you now?" Brandon wondered.

"Brandon!"

"What, Mommy?"

"It's not polite to ask grown ups about their age."

"Sorry."

"It's okay, but please be careful. Some grown ups might get upset if we ask them that."

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><p>They wandered around the rest of the store and Rei purchased some dolls and books she planned to send to Usagi and Mamoru as Christmas gifts for Chibi-Usa and a map of New York City in case she ever got lost while out on her own. Grace didn't buy anything, wanting to wait until after Thanksgiving before she did her Christmas shopping, but Tyler and Brandon pooled their allowances together to buy the Xbox video game <em>'Burnout 2: Point of Impact'<em> that they'd been waiting to get their hands on since this past May. Satisfied with their purchases, they left FAO Schwarz and walked to the skating rink.

It was eight fifteen when they finally made it to Rockefeller Center. The boys were eager to get on the rink and Grace had to remind them to be more patient, much to the youngsters' dismay. Rei was looking forward to the activity too since she hadn't skated since she was in her teens. Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded, so the line was fairly short. Once the admission and skate rental fees were paid and their shoes and other belongings were checked in at the booth, they waited until the clock struck eight thirty and they were allowed onto the ice for a ninety minute session.

An employee who was patrolling the ice snapped a photo of them with Rei's camera phone before they began and they merrily went on their way. Grace was adept at skating and Tyler played on a local hockey team, so he was good at it too, but Brandon and Rei preferred to glide rather than skate and they were content to do so. They had so much fun that they lost track of the time and before they knew it, it was time for them to leave.

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><p>They returned to their apartment building and Rei felt giddy as she got back to her place and curled up on the sofa with her phone, excitedly chatting with her grandfather.<p>

_"Hello?" _Grandpa Hino's voice answered on the other end of the line, glad to hear from his granddaughter.

_"Hi Grandpa. I hope you are taking good care of yourself there."_ She said to him.

_"I'm doing well. I miss you like crazy though. How are you, my dear? I hope you're eating well and getting plenty of sleep."_

Rei chuckled. Her grandpa could be so obsessive about her health sometimes. She knew he meant well, but hearing the same thing all the time got old. _"Grandpa, I've only been here since yesterday. I'm fine."_

_"Good. I'm glad. Have you had a chance to check out your neighborhood yet?"_

_"A little. One of my neighbors and her two sons took me to the Central Park Zoo, and then we went shopping and ice skating. I'll have to explore the rest of the city another time." _ She cleared her throat and switched the phone to her other hand before changing the subject. _"So, how has Yūichirou been since I left? He seemed depressed when he saw me off at the airport."__  
><em>

_"The poor guy is driving me insane. He helps out around the shrine as usual, but he can't go for more than ten minutes without thinking or talking about you." _

_"Tell him I said 'hi' and to hang in there, alright?"_

_"I will."_

They talked for over three hours, until her phone beeped, letting her know that her battery was low. _"I have to go. My battery is dying."_

_"Okay, I'll talk to you later." _

_"Okay. I love you."_

_"Love you too. Bye."_

_"Bye." _She hung up and put the phone on the coffee table, plugging it into its charger before she got up and went into the kitchen to make a cup of chamomile tea.

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><p><em>There you go! Two chapters in a two day period. I don't usually update that fast, but I'm on a roll, so why not? XD<em>

_By the way, Gus and Ida were real polar bears. They were still very much alive at the time this chapter takes place (November 2003), so I thought it would be cool to add them in. Sadly, they both passed away since then, so rest in peace, Gus and Ida!_


	3. Chapter 3

**An American Nightmare**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Three weeks have passed since Rei arrived in the United States. She started her new job two weeks ago and was adjusting fine. Her boss, Mr. Nishiguchi, or Mr. N as many people called him due to an inability to pronounce his surname, was a wealthy and kindhearted man in his sixties, stout and short with a bald head and black eyes who had lived in New York since the early 1990's. His wife had died four years earlier and he still grieved her loss. He tried his best to hide it, but Rei saw right through him. This was a different situation from hers, but she could relate, having lost her mother when she was a little girl and in many ways, her father because of his lack of involvement in her life.

She also got along well with her fellow designers. They were initially hesitant to work under her because of her age, leading them to think of her as inexperienced. Not deterred, she didn't give up and quickly proved to them that she was quite competent in her work and they became much more receptive of her ideas.

It was Thanksgiving Day, and despite it being a national holiday in this country, she came to work even though she wasn't required to. The holiday was a foreign concept for her to understand. They didn't celebrate it in Japan quite the same way. There, they had something called Labor Thanksgiving Day, created to celebrate workers and thank them for their services. People gave thanks by sending thank you cards and gifts to people who did their jobs well. There was no massive heart attack inducing feast of turkey with all its trimmings and pumpkin pie, and businesses remained open, unlike most US ones. In America, it was more abstract, giving thanks for the people in their lives and the things that happened to them, or whatever else people were thankful for and food played a much larger role. Grace had invited her over to have dinner with her family that night, which she accepted.

The office was quiet today, as most of her co-workers were spending the day with their families and slaving over hot stoves and ovens to prepare the perfect meal. She met with a client for a consultation to discuss project goals for a church renovation she had been put in charge of and worked with available workers to develop the initial design drawings.

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><p>She finished early, clocking out at four o'clock, an hour or two earlier than she typically did and took the forty minute subway trip to her apartment building. She changed from her black business suit and white blouse into a red sweater and blue jeans and walked over to Grace's apartment where Tyler and Brandon, clad in sweater vests and corduroy pants nearly knocked her over as they ran over to hug her and say 'hello.'<p>

"Hi, you two."

"Hi!" They chirped.

"Where's your mom?"

"In the kitchen." Tyler responded and she walked through the apartment to the aforementioned room. She found Grace hovering over the counter, a hand mixer in her hands whirring loudly as it mashed a large bowl of potatoes.

"Hey Grace." She greeted. "Do you need help with anything?"

"That's not necessary, but if you insist, can you tell the boys I said to wash up. People will be arriving any minute."

"No problem." Rei did so, and the boys bounced into the bathroom and came back out, the sweet smell of strawberry hand soap on their hands. Rei washed her own hands and went back into the kitchen to assist Grace in putting the finishing touches on their meal.

The guests, including Grace's ex-husband, arrived soon after and Brandon tugged on the bottom of Rei's sweater to get her attention.

"Rei, come on! You wanna meet my daddy and my other family?" This made the fire senshi giggle, and she nodded and followed him to the living room where she found a crowd of ten to twelve people mingling with one another and five or six children, including Tyler running around, playing a game of tag. Brandon pointed at one of the men, dressed in a blue button down shirt and jeans, and practically dragged Rei over to him. "This is my daddy. Daddy, this is my new friend Rei. She just moved here."

"Hello, Mr. Weston."

"Nice to meet you, Rei. Easy on the 'Mr. Weston.' It's Bill." Bill was a tall and slender man in his late thirties, with blue eyes and mousy brown hair.

"Pleased to meet you too, Bill." She replied and shook his hand.

"And this is my grandma." The four-year-old introduced, waving an elderly woman, who appeared to be in her seventies and had white hair and the same blue eyes as her son and grandchildren over to them.

"Where are you from?" Grandma Weston asked.

"I'm from Japan." Rei beamed. These people seemed nice and she was confident that they'd get along fine.

* * *

><p>The adults were seated at the dining room table and the children at the smaller kitchen table on folding chairs, which had been brought into the dining room, and everyone said their prayers and told what they were thankful for.<p>

"I'm thankful for my mommy and daddy and Tyler, and all my friends at school, oh, and my new friend Rei." Brandon started. "Your turn, Ty."

"I'm thankful that I have a nice family, lots of friends, and that Mom and Dad always give us plenty of food."

"Nicely said, boys."

"Thanks Dad." Tyler replied. "Who's next?"

"I'll go." Bill said and held up his can of beer to make a toast. "To Grace, our beautiful sons, my parents, and the rest of you fine people! Happy Turkey Day!"

"Happy Turkey Day!" The guests chorused.

Grace spoke up next. "I'm thankful for so many things it's hard to name them all, but more importantly, I'm thankful for Bill for blessing me with the two most amazing kids, and Tyler and Brandon for making each day brighter."

Everyone else took their turns, and when it was Rei's turn, she piped up. "I am thankful for my grandfather for providing a stable home and a roof over my head, and my friends Usagi, Ami, Makoto, Minako, and the rest of them. They were the first real friends I've ever had and taught me the true meaning of love and friendship. I'm also thankful that I have a good job that I love, good health, and finally, thank you, Grace for welcoming me into this beautiful country and accepting me as a part of your family. Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Okay, let's eat! I'm starving." Brandon declared hungrily and Grace gave the go ahead to serve the food. Bill carved the turkey and ham and everyone began to serve themselves and engage in conversation.

The family was curious about Rei, asking her questions about her homeland and everything else they wanted to know about her, and they were wowed by her pronunciation as she conversed with them in English. Her grammar was nowhere near perfect, sometimes using pronouns incorrectly or getting words mixed up, but she was articulate and competent enough for someone from a country whose language was much different from theirs.

As the serving plates were passed around, a wave of nausea crept up on her. The smells assaulted her nostrils, but she maintained her composure, not wanting to ruin such a joyous celebration.

She managed to consume a piece of turkey breast with cranberry sauce on top, and small amounts of mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, and green beans, while avoiding others altogether like ham, gravy, stuffing, and deviled eggs.

Grace, who was sitting to her left and had been observing her, grew concerned. Rei was eating slowly and picking at her food, and it made her wonder if it was because she didn't like what was on her plate, or maybe there was something more going on.

* * *

><p>When the meal was finished, the adults drank beer or coffee and gathered around the TV to watch a football game and the children went into the boys' bedroom to play <em>'Burnout 2'. <em>Grace pulled Rei aside to talk to her privately.

"Are you alright, dear? You don't look well." She inquired in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You're pale and you barely ate."

"I guess I just wasn't that hungry. It was delicious, by the way."

The blond haired lady was grateful her food was well received, but that answer didn't satisfy her and she pressed for more information. "I don't mean to pry, but I'm going to. How long have you felt sick?"

"About a week."

"Like what? Does your stomach hurt? Are you nauseous or throwing up?"

"No pain, but I feel nauseous and I've been throwing up, mostly in the mornings."

"I see. Have you had sexual contact recently?"

Rei's cheeks flushed red and she tilted her head down to avoid eye contact. "Yes." She mumbled. She and Yūichirou weren't steadily dating before she left her country, though they shared many intimate nights together. They'd used contraceptives each time, as they were still young and neither were ready for the responsibilities of raising a baby just yet.

"What about your menstrual cycle? When was your last one?"

Rei backtracked carefully. She'd been on birth control since she was eighteen and took it religiously without missing a single dose, but she concluded that her last period had been in the beginning of October. She'd been so busy lately that she hadn't noticed that she missed the cycle after it.

"I think you might be pregnant."

Rei swallowed nervously. Her? Pregnant? She shook her head in disbelief. "No way!"

"Have you taken a pregnancy test?"

"Yeah. It was negative."

"Not surprising. Those home tests aren't always accurate. You should make an appointment with a doctor. Then you'll know for sure." Grace stepped toward the fridge and pulled a business card from it and handed it to her. "Here, call Dr. Landry. He was my doctor when I was pregnant with the boys and he's one of the best in this area. He'll take great care of you."

"I will."

They rejoined the rest of Grace's family in front of the TV and cheered as their team, the New York Giants scored the first touchdown in a home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Hours later, the team was victorious, beating the other team with a score of fifty-three to twenty-seven.

* * *

><p>The next day, Black Friday, Rei took her neighbor's advice and rode a bus to the hospital to get to her appointment. Fortunately, Dr. Landry had an opening and was able to see her at ten AM. She registered at the reception desk with her insurance card and passport, and filled out the shit load of medical forms in the best written English she could muster, then she took an elevator to the OB-GYN ward and followed the room number signs until she found the one she was searching for.<p>

She hadn't waited long before a petite, light brown haired nurse with bluish gray eyes called her name. The nurse introduced herself as Tanya and led her into the exam room, weighed her, took her vitals and medical history. Rei's stomach fluttered anxiously when Tanya informed her that she needed to draw some blood from her arm. She hated needles! They made her queasy.

"You may feel a little pinch. Please relax. Don't look if it makes you too nervous." Rei nodded and turned away as the nurse cleaned her right arm with an antiseptic solution, then she tied an elastic tourniquet around the upper arm to allow her to get a better view of the veins. She inserted the needle into a vein and filled some tubes with blood. The blood flowed into the tubes and when enough blood was collected, Tanya removed the tourniquet and the needle, and put a cotton ball over the puncture wound, applying pressure to stop the bleeding, then she put on a bandage. She walked the blood samples over to the lab and Rei waited for the results to come back.

An hour later, a doctor entered the room carrying a folder with a few sheets of paper in it. He appeared to be in his mid forties and was five foot, nine inches tall, average build, with medium brown hair that was graying at the front and brown eyes.

"Hello, Rei. I'm Dr. Landry." He said in a friendly voice and pulled up a stool near the exam table to sit down. "The results came back and your hCG levels are elevated. There's no doubt. You're pregnant. Congratulations!"

"How far along am I?" She inquired.

"Let's see, your last menstrual period was October eighth, correct?" Rei nodded, and the doctor continued. "Okay. That was about seven weeks ago, which means you likely conceived between October twentieth and the twenty-fourth. This gives you an estimated due date of July fifteenth, so you're approximately five weeks along."

He gave her some time to digest the news, then he talked to her casually to put her at ease. Then he handed her a hospital gown and put on a pair of gloves. "I'm gonna need you to undress and put on that gown." Rei exhaled. She felt embarrassed and frightened at the idea of a male doctor looking at her, but Dr. Landry assured her that Tanya would be there the entire time, because it was hospital policy that a female nurse stay in the room while a male doctor examined his patient.

Rei finally agreed to let him examine her, but still felt weird about it as she went into the attached bathroom and stripped, putting the gown on before coming back into the room. Dr. Landry asked if she had any questions or concerns and answered them honestly, helping her to gradually build up her trust in him. He told her to lie on her back and helped her get into position. The nurse stood next to her, explaining to her that it would be uncomfortable, but to take a deep breath and relax and the doctor began the exam. He finished ten minutes later, and Rei changed back into her regular clothes.

"I'll see you again in four to six weeks."

She agreed, and she went to the receptionist to schedule the next appointment and left the hospital, relieved to have the confirmation she needed. She was thrilled that she would soon be a mother, yet apprehensive about the changes she would go through and what may or may not happen.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you like this chapter! So, our Rei-chan is pregnant and getting ready to have her precious baby. The next chapter skips ahead several months and the little one will be born, but I have some details to think about first, like whether Rei has her on, before, or after her due date, and several other things. Feel free to make suggestions.<em>


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